In Re: 41st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury

lN THE SUPREIVIE COURT OF PENNSYLVAN]A NilDDLE D|STR|CT |N RE: APPL|CAT|ON OF BRUCE R. : NO. 174 |Vli\/l 2016 BEE|V|ER, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ' THE CO|V||V|ONVVEALTH OF PENNSYLVAN|A, REQUEST|NG AN ORDER DIRECT|NG THAT AN ADD|T|ONAL |VIULT|COUNTY : |NVEST!GATING GRAND JURY HAV|NG : STATEWIDE JUR|SD|CT|ON BE ' CONVENED ORDER PER CUR|A|V| AND NOW, this 9th day of December, 2016, upon consideration of the App|ication of Bruce R. Beemer, Attorney General ot the Commonwea|th of Pennsy|vania,_ and it appearing to the Court that the granting of the Application is appropriate under the investigating Grand Jury Act, 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 4541 et seq., it is hereby ORDERED as follows: 1. The Attorney Genera|’s Appiication requesting an Order directing that an additional multicounty investigating grand jury having statewide jurisdiction (“Forty-First Statewide investigating Grand Jury") be convened is hereby GRANTED. 2. The Honorabie Anthony A. Sarcione, Judge of the Court of Common P|eas, Fifteenth Judicial District, Chester County, Pennsylvania1 is hereby designated as Supervising Judge ot the Forty-First Statewide investigating Grand Jury. A|l applications and motions relating to the Work of the Forty-First Statewide investigating Grand Jury-including motions for disclosure of grand jury transcripts and evidence_ shall be presented to the Supervising Judge. With respect to investigations, presentments, reportsl and all other proper activities of the Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury, Judge Sarcione, as Supervising Judge, shall have jurisdiction over ali counties throughout the Commonweaith of Pennsy|vania. Judge Sarcione may temporarily designate another jurist who has been appointed by this Court as the Supervising Judge of a muiticounty investigating grand jury having statewide jurisdiction to serve as Acting Supervising Judge of the Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury when Judge Sarcione is absent or othenNise unavailable 3. |\iiontgomery County is designated as the location for the Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury proceedings 4. The Court Administrator of Pennsy|vania is directed to draw six counties at random from the Eastern District of Pennsy|vania pursuant to the provisions of Ruie 241(A)('i) and 241(C)(2) of the Pennsy|vania Ruies of Criminai Procedure, and these six counties, plus i\/_iontgomery, shall together supply jurors for the Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury. 5. The Court Administrator of Pennsy|vania is directed to obtain the names and addresses of persons residing in the aforesaid counties who are eligible by law to serve as grand jurors pursuant to the provisions of Ruie 241(A)(2) of the Pennsy|vania Ruies of Criminai Procedure. 6. The total of such names of prospective jurors to be collected shall be two hundred, of which fifty shall be selected at random and summoned by the Court Administrator of Pennsyivania to i\/iontgomery County. The Supervising Judge shall impanel the Forty-First Statewide investigating Grand Jury from this panel of fifty prospective jurors. if it becomes necessary, additional prospective jurors shall be 174 lVl|V| 2016 ~ 2 summoned by the Supervising Judge from among the remaining one hundred fifty prospective jurors. 7. The Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury Wii| remain in session for not more than eighteen months following the date that it is impaneled by the Supervising Judge. 8. The Attorney Generai of the Commonweaith of Pennsyivania, or his designee in charge of the Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury, may appiy, if necessary, to the Supervising Judge for an extension of the term of the Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury for an additional period of up to six months, if, at the end of its original term, the investigating Grand Jury determines by majority vote that it has not completed its businessl The Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury’s term, including any extension thereof, shall not exceed twenty-four months from the date it Was originally impaneled by the Supervising Judge. 9. in addition to maintaining control of transcripts and evidence as provided by Ruie 229 of the Pennsy|vania Ruies of Criminai Procedure and controlling disclosure of matters occurring before the Forty-First StateWide investigating Grand Jury as provided by 42 Pa.C.S. §4549, the Supervising Judge shall have the same duties and powers relating to maintaining grand jury secrecy with respect to each prior StateWide investigating Grand Jury convened in i\/iontgomery County cr any other county identified in Ruie 241(0)(2). Chief Justioe of P nnsylvania 174 lVllVl 2016 - 3